326 THE WOODPECKERS 



THE WOODPECKERS 

 [W. P. PYCRAFT] 



Of our resident birds the dipper and the woodpeckers are among 

 the least familiar, since of necessity their existence depends on local 

 conditions, limiting migration and restricting distribution. By force 

 of circumstances they have become unfitted for a wandering life, and 

 on account of these same limitations of liberty the ornithologist finds in 

 these birds an interest which is peculiarly stimulating, inasmuch as 

 they bring home, in striking fashion, the close relationship which 

 exists between structure and environment, a relationship by no means 

 so obvious in birds which enjoy a wider field of life. The wood- 

 peckers, indeed, are unsurpassed in the number of the problems they 

 present, some of which it is the purpose of this chapter to analyse. 



Take the matter of distribution, for example. Why is it that no 

 woodpecker breeds, or has been known to breed, in Ireland ? Why 

 is it that Scotland is almost as completely avoided ? In both these 

 areas there would seem to be suitable harbourage ; but the fact remains 

 that, either on account of climatic conditions, or a lack of suitable 

 food, Ireland and Scotland alike are shunned by these interesting 

 birds. Scotland, however, is more fortunate than Ireland, since one 

 species the great spotted-woodpecker in former times nested as 

 far north as the Moray Basin, and still breeds in the south-east. 

 Happily the bird seems to be recovering its lost ground, and speedily. 

 This avoidance of the Scottish area is curious, since this species 

 evinces a preference for coniferous trees. 



The green- woodpecker, in the matter of its haunts, shows a decided 

 preference for light sandy soils, which afford the best harbourage for 

 ants and their nests, while in the matter of trees it affects a prefer- 

 ence for old and decaying oaks, probably because the gnarled bark 

 affords abundant lurking-places for insects ; other trees, and especially 



